California now leads the nation in the number of hospitals voluntarily pledging to participate in the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Partnership for Patients initiative, with nearly 400 hospitals signing on. By endorsing the initiative, hospitals throughout California have agreed to participate in two specific quality improvement programs: 1) Keep patients from getting injured or sicker; and 2) Help patients heal without complications.

As part of the broad Partnership for Patients program, CMS developed a federally funded initiative known as the Hospital Engagement Network (HEN). More than $200 million has been designated for 26 state, regional and hospital system organizations in an effort to reduce inpatient harm by 40 percent and hospital readmissions by 20 percent by the end of 2013.

In addition to the national Partnership for Patients program, a majority of hospitals in California participate in patient safety collaboratives aimed at reducing hospital-acquired conditions like infections and medical errors. The collaboratives bring together groups of hospitals in peer-to-peer learning networks at the local, regional and statewide levels. Collaboratives and other patient safety organizations review data, evaluate best practice approaches and help accelerate the adoption of quality improvement programs.

To view a complete list of participating hospitals and to learn more, visit www.CaringisourCalling.org.

Contact: Jennifer Bayer
(213) 538-0730, jbayer@hasc.org